Gwaine the Strong
by Lollipopswilltakeover
Summary: Gwaine needs something to remember that he did right. Something he was proud of. But every year, on July 24th, he couldn't find one thing he did right. For that was the day he messed everything up.


Gwaine sat in his from, tired from Arthur's practice session. A mug of ale in hand, he sat down at his desk, and mulled over what today meant. He knew it was important, yet earlier in the morning he had taken several glasses of ale down, trying to block it out. Apparently it had done it's job.

Branded in his mind was the memory, but a couple swigs of alcohol had managed to cover it. But it still didn't block it out fully. It haunted his every breath, dream, nightmare, and thought. The moment took up every spot on his clock, her voice screamed along with the bells of attack, his sword made of the bones, and his cape stained in her blood.

Gwaine was just about to take another sip when the memory bombarded his brain. He gasped, dropping the mug on the ground.

_He had managed to barter some fresh baked pastries for killing some beast that had plagued the baker. He grinned, knowing she would be so happy. It was her birthday, and he wanted to make sure everything went perfectly. Nothing could have gone wrong. The sky was clear, the small picnic set up, and her present hidden. Gwaine ran toward their camp, eager to get the day officially started._

_When he got their, Eliza was tending to the small fire, her recently knife-cut hair brushing the tips of her shoulder. She stood up, which is when he seized the __opportunity to grab her waist and gently kiss her on the cheek. "Hey, I got you something," he said, singsongy. She laughed._

_Gwaine had know her since they were very small. He had long ago nickned h__er 'Blondie', simply for she was blond. More often than not, however, he called her by her middle name, Caroline. She was strong, caring, and not afraid __ to smack some sense into him. _

_"Gwaine, you shouldn't have," she thanked, rolling her eyes. Gwaine smiled._

_"Come with me," he said, putting his hands over her eyes and leading her towards the valley. He had everything picked out and perfected. "Open." Caroline gasped as she took in the sight._

_It was a small field bathed in sunlight. A river circled around it, the sound of water heard from any part of the valley. And right at the prettiest part of the field was a small blanket covered with some food. They sat down and ate, laughing and joking._

_"Gwaine, this is all too much," Caroline said, gently stroking the well-worn blanket. "I love it, but Gwaine... This must have taken forever to save up for."_

_"For you, it's worth it. And here is your present," he said, grabbing the poorly wrapped package. Her eyebrows shot up, curious. She quickly unwrapped the package, revealing a beaded necklace matching her green eyes. Her eyes lit up and Gwaine put it on her. "Do you like it?" he asked __hesitantly, wringing his hands._

_"Gwaine, I-" she began, but was cut off by an angry battle cry. They both stood instantly, each reaching for their own weapon._

_"Bandits," Gwaine breathed, unsheathing his sword. A large group of black-clad, sword wielding bandits ran out. Caroline grabbed her dagger, driving it into one of the bandit's spine and using the force to send the limp body into another bandit, which in turn fell through Gwaine's sword._

_It was two against at least a hundred, and they didn't last long. The battle was short, and by the end Gwaine's love was being held at sword point. The bandit who held Caroline captive took off his mask, revealing a familiar face to Gwaine. John Peter, husband of the thief who had control over a beast. Gwaine had killed her some time ago in exchange for some spare coins to bout the necklace. He smirked, pressing the sword to Caroline's neck, just above her necklace._

_"You killed my wife, just to make_ **_her _**_happy. So, I'll kill her and we'll be fair and square," the man spat. Gwaine shifted on his feet, anger in his eyes. He acted on mere impulse, and nothing more. _

_"You will not be taking any lives today," he growled, and started running with his sword aimed perfectly at his throat. But John Peter had expected it._

_He lifted Caroline high enough so that the sword would run through both her and himself. And Gwaine realized this too late. For by then, he was already in motion. The snapping of the bones was heard across the valley and through the lands. John Peter fell to the ground along with Caroline. The bandits picked up John Peter, grabbed anything valuable and left. Gwaine was left alone with a dead Caroline. Her necklace was still intact._

_Gwaine crawled over to her and gently caressed her golden locks, tears staining her bloody neck. He took the necklace off and shoved it in his pocket. He remembered when he first met her at age 4, and their relationship had only grown from then on in. He missed her. And he had killed her. Gwaine had killed a woman who loved him. Gwaine rinsed his blood in the river, grabbed any left over food, and ran. He ran and ran and ran, until he ran into a certain Princess and manservant._

Tears clouded Gwaine vision and blood was on his hands. His heart ached, and yet everything felt numb. A sudden knock at the door jarred him from his thoughts, and revealed Merlin, Arthur, and the knights, each holding a sort of beverage or food.

"Mind if we come in? We brought you some things to cheer you up," Merlin said, scotching to let Arthur in first.

"How did you know?" Gwaine asked, letting his friends pass. The only person he'd told about Caroline had been Merlin... That little snitch.

"We pieced the pieces together. And Merlin," Arthur said, setting down what he held. "So, we're going to tell our tales of woe and drink to ourselves. That's an order, Gwaine." Arthur smirked, pleased with himself.

"We just wanted you to know, you'll find someone. And not to blame yourself, okay? That's the wrong thing to do," Merlin offered, eyes clouded suddenly.

"Thanks, guys. I needed this," he smiled sadly.

Long after his friends left, Gwaine felt slightly better. But, Gwaine knew he would never quite be okay. He missed Caroline, missed how much he loved her, missed everything about her. He still had her necklace. He kept it on him at all time, as if it was keeping her with him. At that very moment he was fingering the beads, remembering her laugh, her smile, her eyes. He refused to let anyone else get hurt the way he and Caroline had. He had to be strong and keep the peace. Gwaine didn't want anyone else feeling what he felt. And that's why he would remain strong. For he was Sir Gwaine the Strong.


End file.
